Female entrepreneurs in Indianapolis have made it their responsibility to provide continuous support for other women who have similar aspirations.
Charmaine Sanders, owner of Blush Shoetique, a mobile fashion truck, is holding “A Bosses Brunch: Building a Brand Salon Edition,” a networking event and brunch for female entrepreneurs and hair stylists on Aug. 2 from 2-5 p.m.
“Indianapolis is kind of a small city and we don’t have a lot of events, especially for young women,” Sanders said.
Sanders mentioned the idea branched from traveling to other states for networking events and brunches. After attending events, Sanders decided she wanted to empower women in Indianapolis.
This will be the third brunch Sanders has hosted since December 2014. The first brunch covered the fashion industry and the second targeted makeup artists. For this year’s event, Sanders wanted to target a younger audience.
Although Sanders doesn’t know much about the hair industry, she found several women in Indianapolis who do.
“They were my customers from the shopping truck; that’s how I knew three of them,” Sanders said. “Just reaching out to them, they referred me to three other people who bought their own building or are looking to build their clientele.”
Shantelle Cole, owner of Holliwood Crazi Styles, said she went to last year’s luncheon and thought it was a great event.
“It’s good to tell women what’s going on in business,” Cole said. “It’s very helpful, very motivational.”
Cole said she saw herself playing basketball for a living, but one incident forced her to explore other talents.
“What made me pick up my comb was getting injured in basketball,” Cole said. “Doing hair came naturally. I saw how I could help someone feel better about themselves with a simple hairstyle.”
Cole said for the brunch, she will warn attendees that becoming an entrepreneur is hard, but to keep pushing.
“You have to have faith in yourself; you have to know what you really want,” Cole said. “You can’t let someone have the power to tell you ‘no you can’t do that.’ You take all those ‘no’s’ and turn them into ‘yes’ by yourself.”
Brianca Johnson, a makeup artist, will also speak at the brunch.
“We’re going to get older,” Johnson said. “There are going to be new girls everyday trying to do what we’re doing. It’s our job to keep them going and inspire them.”
Johnson explained her path to entrepreneurship was a difficult one. Without a car or another job, she still said yes to every client.
“Me being a makeup artist, people didn’t take that seriously at first,” Johnson said. “That’s not something common here when I first started. I didn’t have another job. You just have to be consistent.”
Overall, the panelists of this event want to empower women by telling their stories and giving advice.
“It’s always good to hear from people who are in the same field as you,” Johnson said. “Their problems and their struggles can help you.”
To purchase tickets and learn more about the event’s location, visit Abossesbrunchindy.eventbrite.com.
